Hepatitis delta is caused by infection with the hepatitis D virus (HDV) and is considered to be the most severe form of viral hepatitis in humans. Hepatitis delta occurs only in hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals as HDV is a defective RNA virus which requires the HBsAg for complete replication and transmission. Eight different HDV genotypes have been described ...

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) can cause severe acute and chronic liver disease in patients infected by hepatitis B virus. Interferon alpha at high doses, although poorly efficient, is the only treatment reported to provide some benefit in chronic hepatitis delta. Pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFN) has not yet been evaluated. Treatment is usually monitored by the qualitative detection of HDV-RNA...

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) packaging requires prenylation of the HDV large protein (p27), as well as a direct protein-protein interaction between HDV proteins and hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope protein domains. To investigate this interaction, we have analysed the binding capacity of baculovirus-expressed delta p24 and p27 proteins to synthetic peptides specific for the HBV envelope. Althoug...

One hundred and six consecutive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) carriers were studied for the prevalence of delta markers in serum and tissue, and the clinical and histological features of those with and without delta infection were compared. Twenty (18.9%) patients were positive for anti-delta in serum or delta antigen in the liver or both. They presented at a younger age (30.3 v 38 years). Al...

Background: Recently, some new viruses have been identified for their association with hepatitis which Torque Teno Mini Virus being among them. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of Torque Teno Mini Virus in healthy individuals and hepatitis B and C patients in Isfahan, Iran. Materials and Methods: One hundred serum samples of healthy individuals from Isfahan Blood Transfusi...

Delta antigen (delta) is a transmissible agent requiring hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its replication. Antibody to delta (anti-delta) was present in nine of 71 (13%) British HBV carriers: six were intravenous drug abusers and two were haemophiliacs. Anti-delta was negative in 30 HBsAg positive homosexuals. Cirrhosis was common in patients with anti-delta and those with anti-delta positive cirrho...

UNLABELLED Interferon alpha is the only treatment option for hepatitis delta virus (HDV). Trials investigating the efficacy of pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFNa) showed HDV RNA negativity rates of 25-30% 24 weeks after therapy. However, the clinical and virological long-term outcome of HDV-infected patients treated with PEG-IFNa is unknown. We performed a retrospective-prospective follow-up ...

Residents of Egypt's Nile river delta have among the world's highest seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. To assess the impact of HCV on chronic liver disease, we studied the association between HCV, other hepatitis viruses, and cirrhotic liver disease in a cross-sectional, community-based survey of 801 persons aged > or = 10 years living in a semi-urban, Nile delta village. Res...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) was found in 9.2% of 1,186 pregnant women from Gabon, of whom 10.1% had the HBe antigen and 89.9% had anti-HBe antibodies. Antibodies to the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) were found in 15.6% of the HBsAg-positive women. The HBV strains were of the A3 and E genotypes. The HDV strains belonged to HDV clades 1 and 8. These results provide clear evidenc...